Finn van der Leden (left), Vito Charles (centre) and Joan Bourque in front of the mural at the Saba Heritage Center.
SABA--A large, colourful mural is now beautifying the wall at the entrance of the Saba Heritage Center in Windwardside.
The mural was painted by artist Joan Bourque and designed by archaeologist/artist Finn van der Leden. The 3- by 5-metre mural depicts Saba’s heritage, both tangible and intangible. It includes Saba’s important historic dates such as the abolition of slavery and elements of the indigenous culture from the past up to today, such as The Road, Saba Spice, Saba Lace, hat-making, the Maypole Dance and fishermen.
The mural at the Saba Heritage Center.
Inspiration for the design of the mural came from Saba’s steep slopes, as their form is similar to that of the wall. Although not every aspect of Saba’s rich history could be captured in only one mural, care has been taken to include a full range of people, ages and activities. The historical accuracy of the depicted scenes came from resources in the Heritage Centre, but also from the many Sabans who were kind enough to review and comment on the design.
“We were looking for something unique, something that would stand out and act as an eye-catcher for the Heritage Center,” said Saba Archeological Research Center SABARC Treasurer Vito Charles, who together with Chairman Jay Haviser and Secretary Peter Johnson forms the SABARC board.
Charles explained that the idea for a mural actually came from archaeologists Corinne Hofman and Menno Hoogland during their recent visit to Saba. Hofman and Hoogland have many years of experience of archaeological research in Saba and throughout the Caribbean. Borque, who is well-known for painting the mural at Fort Bay harbour and at Eugenius Johnson Center, completed the mural within one week.
The Heritage Center has a mission to preserve, document and disseminate information about Saba’s heritage. The Saba people and their knowledge about heritage play an important role in this. “We want to do this by engaging people to tell us what they consider to be Saba’s heritage,” said Charles, who announced that in a few months a new research and heritage coordinator will be coming to the island who will primarily engage with the population to gather and preserve information on Saba’s rich history.
